Critics Review

3.50

Heartwarming and at the same time Heart-Wrenching

A lovely representation of life which has all mixed emotions, realistic treatment with an engrossing screenplay. Barring some minor flaws, we get to travel along the characters, feel for their joyous and sorrowful situations.(more)

Source: Ashwin Ram, MovieCrow

3.00

Powerful performances shine in an otherwise black-and-white tale

The films so busy painting this black-and-white picture of the downtrodden versus the village bigwigs that it forgets to add some shades of grey. Sure, Sivas a great kid with potential, and yes, the villagers have it rough. But when the baddies are just your typical moustache-twirling landlord types who seem to own people, it's hard not to roll your eyes a bit. The films begging you to feel bad, but by making everything so cut-and-dry, it actually makes it tougher to stay connected.(more)

Source: Suganth, Times Of India

4.00

Mari Selvaraj's career-best film will make you speechless

�Vaazhai� is hands-down Mari Selvaraj�s exquisite work. It clashes with director PS Vinothraj�s equally brilliant �Kottukkaali� on August 23. What an eventful week for Tamil cinema. It�s truly a clash of the titans!(more)

Source: Janani, India Today

4.00

Mari Selvaraj's profound, deeply aching bio-drama is a masterpiece

With Vaazhai, Mari Selvaraj � apart from showing you who he is � makes you smile, laugh, think, and leaves you with a lump in your throat. In the end, when you see Sivanaindhan, you will wish you could comfort him however you can. And so, it�s a reminder that Sivanaindhaan does live in our world, and one hopes that making this artwork gave him some relief.(more)

Source: BHUVANESH CHANDAR, The Hindu

3.00

A child's view of cruelty

The cast has put their heart and soul into the film but Ponvel�s powerful expressions take the film to the next level. Santosh Narayan�s music captures the mood of the filmmaker�s childhood effectively. (more)

Source: Guruprasad, Deccan Herald